Illegal Israeli actions in OPT – Letter from Palestine

  Identical letters dated 10 December 2001 from the Permanent Observer

of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

  Israel, the occupying Power, continues with its bloody military campaign against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, committing yet additional war crimes and State terrorism. Today, in another attempt at extrajudicial executions, Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian car in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron), killing two children, 3-year-old Burhan Himouni and 16-year-old Shadi Arafa. In addition, this Israeli attack resulted in the wounding of six men, including the apparent intended target.

  Before dawn on Sunday, 9 December 2001 (Palestine time), Israeli tanks and personnel carriers supported by helicopter gunships invaded the village of Anabta to the East of Tulkarem. While occupying the village, Israeli occupying forces heavily shot at a Palestinian police car and a following car, killing in cold blood four policemen and seriously injuring two others. Israeli occupying forces also dynamited a house and burned another after storming into all the houses of the village. Moreover, in two successive air raids, Israeli fighter jets levelled the headquarters of the Palestinian police in Gaza City, and Israeli helicopter gunships fired on and destroyed a building belonging to the Palestinian security police in Rafah at dawn on Friday, 7 December, and Saturday, 8 December 2001, respectively.

  In addition to the above, on Wednesday, 5 December 2001, in the city of Ramallah, Israeli occupying forces stormed and vandalized the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, confiscating valuable materials. The occupying Power then added the condemnable critical step of convening the Israeli weekly cabinet meeting yesterday, 9 December 2001, in the Occupied Territories near the city of Ramallah. All of the above actions indicate, beyond any doubt, that the Government of Mr. Ariel Sharon wants to ensure the failure of any attempt to get out of the current tragic situation. Furthermore, it shows that the government is bent on the destruction of the capacity of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Authority and any potential for peace in the Middle East.

  In follow-up to my previous 83 letters to you regarding this grave situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 4 December 2001 (A/55/432-S/2000/921;A/55/437-S/2000/930; A/55/450-S/2000/957; A/55/466-S/2000/971; A/55/474-S/2000/984; A/55/490-S/2000/993; A/ES-10/39-S/2000/1015; A/ES-10/40-S/2000/1025; A/ES-10/42-S/2000/1068; A/ES-10/43-S/2000/1078; A/ES-10/44-S/2000/1093; A/ES-10/45-S/2000/1104; A/ES-10/46-S/2000/1107; A/ES-10/47-S/2000/1116; A/ES-10/48-S/2000/1129; A/ES-10/49-S/2000/1154; A/ES-10/50-S/2000/1173; A/ES-10/51-S/2000/1185; A/ES-10/52-S/2000/1215; A/ES-10/53-S/2000/1247; A/ES-10/54-S/2001/7; A/ES-10/55-S/2001/33; A/ES/10/56-S/2001/50, A/ES-10/57-S/2001/101; A/ES-10/58-S/2001/131 A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156;  A/ES-10/60-S/2001/175; A/ES-10/61-S/2001/189; A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209;  A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226; A/ES-10/66-S/2001/239; A/ES-10/67-S/2001/255; A/ES-10/68-S/2001/284; A/ES-10/69-S/2001/295; A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304; A/ES-10/71-S/2001/314; A/ES-10/72-S/2001/332; A/ES-10/75-S/2001/352; A/ES-10/76-S/2001/372; A/ES-10/79-S/2001/418; A/ES-10/80-S/2001/432; A/ES-10/81-S/2001/447; A/ES-10/82-S/2001/463; A/ES-10/83-S/2001/471; A/ES-10/84-S/2001/479; A/ES-10/85-S/2001/486; A/ES-10/86-S/2001/496; A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504; A/ES-10/88-S/2001/508; A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544; A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586; A/ES-10/91-S/2001/605; A/ES-10/92-S/2001/629; A/ES-10/93-S/2001/657; A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669; A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686; A/ES-10/96-S/2001/697; A/ES-10/97-S/2001/708; A/ES-10/98-S/2001/717; A/ES-10/99-S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754; A/ES-10/101-S/2001/783; A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785; A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798; A/ES-10/104-S/2001/812; A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814; A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821; A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826; A/ES-10/110-S/2001/855; A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880; A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918; A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928; A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932; A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941; A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971; A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989; A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991; A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007; A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024; A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036; A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084; A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092; A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118 and A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149), I regret to inform you that since my last letter to you, on 4 December, 14 more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupying forces. (The names of the martyrs are contained in the annex to the present letter.) These killings raise the total number of Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 803 martyrs.

  I would be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter and its annex distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

( Signed) Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa
Ambassador
Permanent Observer of Palestine
to the United Nations

Annex to the identical letters dated 10 December 2001 from the Permanent Observer

of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

Names of martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces in the

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem ^a
(Thursday, 6 December, to Monday, 10 December 2001)

    Thursday, 6 December 2001

1.  Taj Al-Dean Rajab Al-Masri

2.   Saqr Al-Dabary (from wounds sustained)

   Friday, 7 December 2001

1.  Lo’ay Selim Mashal

2.  Aid Ahmed Mashal

    Saturday, 8 December 2001

1.   Khalil Abdel Fatah Abu Shaweesh (from wounds sustained)

   Sunday, 9 December 2001

1.  Adnan Mahmoud Suliman Jumaa

2.  Ahmed Sameeh Ahmed Al-Koo’a

3.   Saeed Abdel Fatah Saeed Al-Dredey

4.  Munif Helmy Mohammed Hamada

5.  Marwan Subhi Jamil Abu Mu’nes

6.  Naief Fares Kasem Kabha 

    Monday, 10 December 2001

1.  Burhan Himouni (3 years old)

2.  Shadi Arafa (16 years old)

3.  Ayman Abdel Hamid Eid

______________

 ^a   The total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September 2000 is 803.